Marineland Charged With Animal Abuse

Canadian amusement park and zoo Marineland was charged this weekend with five counts of animal abuse toward black bears, guinea hens, and peacocks. The Daily Beast had previously reported that Smooshi, a world-famous walrus, had allegedly been abused at the Niagara Falls-area theme park. Ontario’s animal welfare agency investigated the park and claimed it had a “highly unusual” amount of land animal deaths for a zoo, along with a host of other issues. In addition to the five charges, the agency is still investigating the park and claims that further charges are likely pending. Marineland has denied the allegations, and a court appearance is scheduled for next month.